James Jones is a British composer who has written music for television, film, theatre, installations and the concert hall. Over 20 years, he has worked on a variety of productions showcasing his versatility across a wide range of musical genres.

Born and brought up in Pembrokeshire, Wales, James learnt the violin, viola and piano, and sang extensively from an early age. He performed in numerous chamber ensembles, orchestras and choirs, leading to membership of both the National Youth Orchestra and National Youth Choir of Wales.

James’s first success in composition came with an award at the National Festival of Music for Youth in 1995, for the anthem Ave Verum Corpus. At King’s College London (BMus 1995-1998), James studied composition with Sir Harrison Birtwistle, with whom he experimented with avant-garde techniques. He collaborated on compositions with London Brass and mezzo-soprano Anna Stephany. He was a bass scholar with the King’s College chapel choir and sang at a number of London’s churches, including St John’s Wood church where he sang for six years. At the Royal College of Music (MMus 2001-2002) he studied with Oscar-winning composer Dario Marianelli and took part in projects with Gabriel Yared and Patrick Doyle.

Early commissions included short films and theatre productions, such as Lesley Sharp’s directorial debut, Mary & Mick, the RTS award-winning short film Rocket Boy Roger and theatre production Gates Of Gold starring William Gaunt, which transferred from the Finborough Theatre to the Trafalgar Studios in London’s West End. This led to work on a number of television productions, including Passion Pictures’ Nature: Touching The Wild and Popkorn’s Cutting Edge: The Rich Kids Of Instagram. Liberty Bell’s The Three Day Nanny, produced by Simon Urwin, was James’s first significant television commission, three series of which he has scored.